Deadlocking latch



May 9, 1939. F. K. HEYER DEADLOCKING LATCH Filed June 17, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR M4/M. 7 WM A TTORNEY May 9, 1939. F. K. HEYERv DEADLOCKING LATCH 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 17, 1956 1N VENTO/e w/yh. K. N71/w A TTORNE Y May 9, 1939- F. K. HEYER DEADLOCKING LATCH .'5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 17, 1936 [NVENTR BY MK] /qf/efm A TTORNEY Patented May 9, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEADLOCKING LATCH cut Application June 17, 1936, Serial No. 85,742

14 Claims.

This invention relates to latch bolt locks; more especially to those of the tubular type.

Since latch bolts lack security because they are readily retractible by endwise pressure, there has been developed in the art what is termed an automatic deadlocking latch. In an automatic deadlocking latch, the essential elements are a latch bolt, a deadlocking lever for the latch bolt, and an auxiliary bolt. The auxiliary bolt when in fully projected position, maintains the deadlocking lever out of deadlocking position, but when the latch bolt enters a strike which is o-f such proportions as to hold the auxiliary bolt in retracted position, then the deadlocking lever is free to operate and thereafter maintains the latch bolt deadlocked against retraction except by the usual operating cam or cylinder lock. v

It will be readily appreciated that in a combination of this sort, a deadlocking lever or other deadlocking means is absolutely essential. By my invention, I propose to obtain all the features of an automatic deadlocking latch while eliminating entirely the deadlocking lever, or other deadlocking means. I propose to do this by utilizing a dead center relationship between the parts of the usual latch bolt retracting mechanism, so that when the latch bolt is fully thrown, it is deadlocked. Means, which is preferably an auxiliary bolt, serves to maintain the parts previously mentioned out of dead center relationship when it is projected, but allows the parts to move into dead center relationship when it is held retracted as by a strike.

Because of the construction of my automatic deadlocking latch, I am able to utilize certain of the parts together with a dead bolt, for fabricating a dead bolt lock instead of a latch. In this way, I am able to obtain many economies of manufacture, since two different locks, both required for a complete commercial line, may be manufactured withsubstantially the same parts. Other features of the invention will be described hereinafter and claimed.

One of these features should first be indicated generally, however. 'Ihis feature embodies the use of a latch bolt body to' which a latch bolt nose or a dead bolt nose may be readily joined, and thereafter held joined by the sleeve in which the body and its nose slide. In this way, one latch bolt body may be utilized for cooperation with either a latch bolt nose or a dead bolt nose, so as to add further to the economies of manufacture previously discussed.

For a detailed description of my invention, I shall now refer to the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan view and Fig. 2 is a side view-of a latch bolt assembly. Fig. 3 is a partial section taken along lines 3 3 of Fig. 6 and showing the relation of the operating mechanism for the latch bolt to the latch bolt assembly of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a section along lines 4-4 of Fig. 6 but showing the parts in a slightly different position and omitting the strike. Figs. 5 and 6 are views showing the latch bolt assembly, but with onehalf of the sleeve of the casing removed, and the m springs for projecting the latch bolt and auxiliary bolt eliminated. Fig. 7 is a view along lines I-'I of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a view of a modification of my invention in which a dead bolt is utilized. Figs. 9 and 10 are respectively perspective views u of a dead bolt head and a latch bolt head. Fig.

11 is an exploded view of the retracting arm assembly. Fig. 12 is a perspective View of the auxiliary bolt; Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the auxiliary bolt lever, while Fig. 14 is a perspective 20 View of the connecting bar between the latch bolt body and the retracting arm.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and especially to Figs. 1 and 2, reference numeral I0 indicates each of the two portions 25 comprising the sleeve of my latch bolt assembly and held together at one end by a lug II carried by one portion and riveted at I2 to the other portion. Ears I3 of each of the portions I0 are adapted for traversal by rods maintaining the 30 sleeve relatively to a thumb turn and cylinder lock, as will be indicated below. The front ends of the members I0 are maintained assembled by riveting at I4 to a front plate I5, as is best illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

Within the sleeve formed bythe portions I0there is mounted for sliding movement a latch bolt body I6 urged outwardly by a spring I1. Spring I'I is mounted in a bore I8 of the latch bolt body I6 and about a pin I9 having a tapered head 20 40 positioned axially of the opening 2I relatively to the sleeve. The latch bolt body I6 is slotted as at 22 for the insertion of a connecting bar 23 pivoted through pin 24 to the latch bolt body for retracting the said latch bolt body. At its 45 other end, the connecting bar 23 has a pin 25 whereby it is pivotally secured to an inverted U shaped retracting arm 26 maintained in assembled relation to the rear ends of the portions I0 of the sleeve by means of a pair of interlock- 50 ing discs 21 and 28, shown in exploded relation to one leg of the inverted U arm 26 in Fig. 11.

As is probably best illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 8, the bolt body I6 carries a pin 29 on which is mounted a leaf spring 30, one end of which lm- 55 pinges against the upper surface of a lug 3| extending laterally from the connecting bar 23. In actual practice, when the latch bolt body I6 is fully projected to its position in Fig. 5 under the influence of its spring 1, the inverted U arm 26, the connecting bar 23 and the latch bolt body I6 will all be maintained in dead center relation with the pivot points 24, 25 and the axis of rotation of the arm 26 all in dead center alignment. This relationship of the parts will be obtained regardless of the leaf spring 30, but with the leaf spring added, the movement to the position of Fig. 6 will be more positive, as will be readily appreciated. Naturally, this dead center relationship of the parts will act to deadlock the latch bolt body I6.

In a modication shown in Figs. 1, '2, 4, 5 and 6,

a latch bolt nose 33, best illustrated in Fig. 10, is adapted for integral movement with the latch bolt body I6. As viewed in Fig. 7, the latch bolt body has a slot 34 running at right angles to the direction of the sliding of the said latch bolt body in the sleeve. The latch bolt nose 33 has'aA shouldered portion 35 extending from a stem 36 thereof, this shouldered portion being insertible into the slot 34, as may be seen from Figs. 4 and '7, so that the latch bolt body I6 and the nose 33 must thereafter move integrally laterally in the sleeve. Since the sleeve and the front portion I5 retain the latch bolt nose 33 against movement in the direction of the slot 34, the latch bolt nose will be maintained always in assembled relation to the latch bolt body I6, as will be readily understood.

, In order to permit latching action of the nose 33 when it contacts a strike 31, illustrated in Fig. 6, I prefer to utilize an auxiliary bolt functioning in a manner Well understood in this art. This auxiliary bolt, designated by reference numeral 38, is mounted for sliding movement on the ilat surface of the latch bolt nose 33. It is maintained assembled relatively to the latch bolt body I6 through means of a pin 39 passing therethrough, the pin 39 being carried by a lever 40 operating in a slot 4|!a of the latch bolt body, as is best illustrated in Fig. 7. A spring 42 coiled about a rod 43 and extending into a bore 44 of the auxiliary bolt 38 maintains the bolt and the lever projected to their fullest extent relatively to the latch bolt body I6. From the design of lever 40 and auxiliary bolt 38, it is evident that spring 42 will project the auxiliary bolt 38 and lever 40 to a point where surface 40h of lever 40 will abut the rear of the head of latch bolt nose 33. However, as is seen in Fig. 4, the resistance to the throw of lever 40 and the auxiliary bolt 38 is such that the end surface 48h of lever 40 will actually seldom touch the rear of the head of latch bolt nose 33,

In this position of the parts, a cam surface 4| of the lever 40 rests under the horizontally extending portion 3| of the connecting bar 23 and maintains that connecting bar in its position of Fig. 5, wherein there is no dead center relationship of the inverted U arm 26, connecting bar 23 and the latch bolt body I6, since the pivot points 24, 25 and the axis of rotation of the arm 26 are no longer aligned properly.

If, with the parts in the relation of Fig. 5, the surface 33a of the latch bolt nose 33 encounters a strike 31, the latch bolt will be readily retractible. Through contact of the rear of the head of latch bolt nose 33 with the surface 40h of lever 40, the lever 48 and auxiliary bolt 38 will also be retracted. Once the latch bolt springs into the strike leaving the auxiliary bolt 38 retracted, the surface 4| of the lever l40 is held by the auxiliary bolt 38 in the position of Fig. 6 relatively to the lug 3| of the connecting bar 23. The leaf spring 30 then acts to move the arm 26, the connecting bar 23 and the latch bolt body I6 to a dead center relationship, with the pivot points 24, 25 and the axis of rotation of the cam 26$all in proper alignment. In this position of the parts', the latch bolt 33 is now deadlocked, and will remain deadlocked until the auxiliary bolt 38 is allowed to spring forward once again. The latch bolt body I6 and latch bolt nose 33 occupy the same position whether deadlocked or not deadlocked. There is sufcient play between the connections of arm 26, connecting bar 23, and latch bolt body I6, so that the slight movement of arm 26 and connecting bar 23 from the position of Figs. 4 and 5 to the position of Fig. 6 may be accomplished without movement of latch bolt body I6.

In the position of the parts in Fig. 6, rotation of the inverted U arm 26 will act, first to break the dead center relationship of the parts, and then to retract the latch bolt in the regular way. It is well to emphasize at this point that the spring 42 pressing the auxiliary bolt 38 outwardly in Fig. 5 must be of such strength as to overcome the force of the leaf spring 30, so as to maintain the parts in the relationship shown in Fig. 5 until the auxiliary bolt 38 is retracted to the position of Fig. 6, in which position the spring 30 is free to move the various parts to dead center position.

If it is desired to utilize a dead bolt instead of a latch bolt, then a dead bolt head 50, illustrated in Fig. 9, may be used and assembled relatively to the body I6 in the same manner as the latch bolt head 33 is assembled relatively to the latch bolt body in Fig. 4. In the modication of Fig. 8 where the dead bolt head 50 is utilized, there is not employed an auxiliary bolt 38, and therefore, when the dead bolt 5I) is thrown, it is always maintained in dead center relationship to its retracting mechanism. 'Ihe leaf spring 30 utilized in the modification of Fig. 8 is merely necessary to give a clicking action and to insure the parts remaining in dead center relationship. It is obvious that the mere throw of the inverted U arm 26 will be sufficient to move the bolt 58 into deadlocked position. It will be readily seen, also, that in the modication of Fig. 8, I use only parts used in the rst modification, omitting those which are not essential. There is only one part in the modification of Fig. 8 not used in the first modification, and that is the dead bolt head 50.

In Fig. 3, I show the relation of the sleeve formed by the parts I0 to a usual key operated pin tumbler cylinder 60 and a thumb turn 6I. The cylinder 60 has a key plug 62 connected to a bar 63 by means similar to those shown and claimed by Freysinger, in his Patent No. 1,517,976, dated December 2, 1924. 'Ihe bar 63 extends through the slots 27a and 28a of discs 2'| and 28 and through the slot 26a in the leg of the inverted U arm 26. The bar extends further into a. slot 6Ia of the thumb turn 6| so as to be rotated by the thumb turn. It is readily appreciated that rotation of the bar 63 either by the thumb turn 6| or the key plug 62 will operate the U arm 26. Due tothe connection between the bar 63 and the key plug 62 shown in the Freysinger patent, the lazy action required for the operation of the thumb turn 6I independently of the key plug 62 is obtained.

An escutcheon 64 houses the cylinder 60, while an escutcheon 65 houses the thumb turn 6I. The slide plate 66 cooperates with a detent member 61 on the thumb turn for maintaining the latch bolt ln retracted position when desired, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. For maintaining the sleeve formed by the portions I0 ln assembled relation to the cylinder 60 and the thumb turn 6l, I use screw threaded bolts 68 traversing the ears I3 of the sleeve assembly and entering threaded ears 69 fixed to the cylinder 60.

I now claim:

1. In a latch of the class described, a spring pressed latch bolt, means for retracting said latch bolt, said-retracting means and latch bolt assuming a dead center relation to deadlock said latch bolt when said latch bolt is projected by its spring, an auxiliary bolt, and means whereby said auxiliary bolt maintains said retracting means and latch bolt out of dead center relation to permit unlatching movement of said latch bolt when it contacts a strike.

2. In a latch of the class described, a spring pressed latch bolt, a retracting arm, means of connection between said arm and latch bolt for retracting the latch bolt when the arm is rotated, said arm, latch bolt and means of connection assuming a dead center relation to deadlock said latch bolt when said latch bolt is projected by its spring, an auxilary bolt, and means whereby said auxiliary bolt maintains said arm, latch bolt and means of connection out` of dead center relation to permit unlatching movement of said latch bolt when it contacts a strike.

3. In a latch of the class described, a spring pressed latch bolt, a retracting arm, means of connection between said arm and said latch bolt for retracting the latch bolt when the arm is rotated, said arm, latch bolt and means of connection assuming a dead center relation to deadlock said latch bolt When said latch bolt is projected by its spring, anauxiliary bolt and a spring whereby it is maintained projected except when held back by a strike into which said latch bolt enters, and means whereby said auxiliary bolt maintains said arm, latch bolt and means of connection out of dead center relation when it is projected with said latch bolt out of a strike to permit unlatching movement of said latch bolt when it contacts a strike.

4. In a latch of the class described, a spring pressed latch bolt, a retracting arm, means ot connection between said arm and latch bolt for retracting the latch bolt when the arm is rotated, said arm, latch bolt and means of connection assuming a dead center relation to deadlock said latch bolt when said latch bolt is projected by its spring, means for holding said arm, latch bolt and means of connection out of dead center relation to permit unlatching movement of said latch bolt when it contacts a strike, and a spring pressed auxiliary bolt for actuating said means.

5. In a latch of the class described, a spring pressed latch bolt, a retracting arm, means of connection between said arm and latch bolt for retracting the latch bolt when the arm is rotated, said arm, latch bolt and means of connection assuming a dead center relation to deadlock said latch bolt when said latch bolt is projected by its spring, an auxiliary bolt mounted for sliding movement on said latch bolt, and means whereby said auxiliary bolt maintains said arm, latch bolt and means of connection out of dead center relation to permit unlatching movement of said latch bolt when it contacts a strike. f

6. In a latch of the class described, a spring pressed latch bolt, a retracting arm, means of connection between said arm and latch bolt for retracting the latch bolt when the arm is rotated, said arm, latch bolt and means of connection assuming a dead center relation to deadlock said latch bolt when said latch bolt is projected by its spring, an auxiliary spring adapted to press said arm, latch bolt and means of connection into dead center relation, an auxiliary bolt, and means whereby said auxiliary bolt maintains said arm. latch bolt and means of connection out of dead center relation against the force of said auxiliary spring, to permit unlatching movement of said adapted to maintain said retracting means out of dead center relation, said means being movable by said strike as said latch bolt enters the strike whereby to release said retracting means for movement into dead center relation.

8. In a latch of the class described, a spring pressed latch bolt adapted to interlock with a strike, a rotating retracting arm, a connecting bar pivoted at one end to said arn and at its other end to said latch bolt, said arm, latch bolt and connecting bar assuming a dead center relation when said latch bolt is projected whereby to deadlock said latch bolt, means adapted to maintain said arm, latch bolt and connectingbar out of dead center relation, said means being movable by the strike as said latch bolt enters said strike to release said arm, said latch bolt and connecting bar for movement into dead center relation.

9. In a latch of the class described, a spring pressed latch bolt, a rotating retracting arm, a connecting bar pivoted at one end to said arm and at its other end to said latch bolt, said arm, latch bolt and connecting bar assuming a dead center relation when said latch bolt is projected whereby to deadlock said latch bolt, an auxillary bolt, and means whereby said auxiliary bolt maintains said arm, latch bolt and connecting bar out of dead center relation to permit unlatching movement of said latch bolt when it contacts a strike.

l0. In a latch of the class described, a spring pressed latch bolt, a rotating retracting arm, a connecting bar pivoted at one end to said arm and at its other end to said latch bolt whereby rotation of the arm on its axis of rotation will retract said latch bolt, said axis of rotation and the points at which said connecting bar is pivoted to said arm and bolt being adapted for dead center alignment when said latch bolt is fully projected by its spring, an auxiliary spring ,pressing on said connecting bar to urge it into a position wherein its points of connection to said arm and latch bolt will be so aligned, an auxiliary bolt carried by said latch bolt and spring pressed outwardly and adapted to be retracted by the retraction of said latch bolt, and means actuated by said auxiliary bolty when in its projected position for maintaining said points of connection out of said alignment whereby said latch bolt may be retracted as it contacts a strike.

11. In a door latch of the class described, a spring pressed latch bolt adapted to interlock with a strike as the door is moved to shut position, means for retractlng said latch bolt, saidv retractlng means assuming` a dead center relation to said latch bolt whereby to deadlock said latch vbolt in its projected position, an auxiliary bolt, and means whereby said retracting means are held out of dead center relation until said auxiliary bolt is moved by the strike as the door on which the latch is mounted is moved into shut position.

12. In a door latch of the class described, a spring pressed latch bolt adapted to interlock with a strike as the door is moved to shut position, means for retracting said latch bolt, said retracting means assuming a dead center relation to said latch bolt whereby to deadlock said latch bolt in its projected position, an auxiliary bolt, means whereby said auxiliary bolt maintains said retracting means out of dead center relation, said auxiliary bolt being moved by the strike as the door is moved to shut position whereby to release said retracting means for movement into dead center relation.

13. In a latch of the class described, a spring pressed latch bolt, retracting means for retracting the latch bolt, said retracting means assuming a dead center relation to deadlock said latch bolt when said latch boltl is projected by its spring. an auxiliary bolt and a spring whereby it is maintained projected except when held back by a strike into which said latch bolt enters, and means whereby said auxiliary bolt maintains said retracting means out of dead center relation when it is projected and while said latch bolt ls out of a strike, whereby to permit unlatching movement of said latch bolt when it contacts a strike.

14. In a latch of the class described, a spring pressed latch bolt, retracting means for retracting the latch bolt, said retracting means assuming a dead center relation to deadlock said latch bolt when said latch bolt is projected by its spring, an auxiliary bolt and a spring whereby it is maintained projectedv except when held back by a strike into which said latch bolt enters, and means whereby saidy auxiliary bolt maintains said retracting means out of dead center relation when it is projected and While said latch bolt is out of a strike, whereby to permit unlatching movement of said latch bolt when it contacts a strike, said auxiliary bolt when retracted against the force of its spring by a strike, being adapted to release said retracting means for movement into dead center relation to deadlock said latch bolt.

FREDERIC K. HEYER. 

